#YEAAAAAAH!!!!!!

[lover-of-mine]

Bones 2x09 “Aliens in a Spaceship” -> The Rookie 2x11 “Day of Death” -> 911 3x15 “Eddie Begins”

inspired by this post by @redpinkwine

(kinda funny that since Eddie was introduced during s2, this happened for all 3 parings in the their second season together)

[dustykneed]

not a SINGLE day goes by where i don't think about that post with the photo of andrew's death grip on alex's waist. you know the one

(i have, regrettably, once again, lost the damn post. if anyone has any clue as to its whereabouts i would be much obliged if you could drop the link lol. but at the very least i had the presence of mind to download the photo so here yall go xDD:

[itslilacokay]

short ns?ava post

[atorionsbelt]

[leondevilart]

i said I redraw this and so I did!!! (it's based off an old fanart of mine) BMC REFERENCE 🗣️🗣️🗣️

old version:

[chipper-smol]

very vivid feeling i had last week

[cheylouwho]

Upgrade: plants

[germaaaaaaaaaa]

lethal company if it was awesome

[borvooven]

ATTENTION!!!!

[smilesrobotlover]

First|| <-prev Next-> (soon)

AO3

Chapter 10- Old Friends

Barnes didn’t try to hide how tired he was as he followed Renado up Death Mountain. Loud grunts and swears escaped him as he climbed onto different ledges, laying on his back once he was able to pull himself up. Renado seemed perfectly fine of course, no sounds of struggles came from him, and he watched the trail with his bow at the ready. He had gotten a letter from some friends warning them to stay in Kakariko and to avoid going out at night. Renado, being the perfect mayor he was, felt inclined to warn the gorons as well, and he got his old bow ready and began his trek. Though Barnes preferred to stay in his bomb shop, he couldn’t let the mayor go on his own. The time spent alone together in Kakariko strengthened their relationship, and he couldn’t help but care a little about the man. So he invited himself on the trek, for extra protection obviously. Though Barnes was more of a burden than anything, slowing Renado down since he needed many breaks. The mayor was a patient man, but he could see the anxiety eating at him with the way he watched the rocks with a wary eye, but Barnes just couldn’t keep up with his pace, no matter how hard he tried. Finally, Renado turned to Barnes when they reached air spouts, a worried expression on his face.

“Barnes, you certainly don’t have to follow me further if you don’t want to,” he said, staring as Barnes scrambled to his feet.

“Nonsense! I’m not lettin’ you travel alone!” He argued, stretching his back, and letting out a loud sigh. He noted the path ahead with dread. “I’m just… uh… out of shape.”

Renado smiled slightly and turned to the path ahead. “I just don’t want you to get hurt, old friend. The path to Death Mountain isn’t a dangerous one, but it’s not easy.”

“Yeah well, you’re as much of a field man as I am,” Barnes said, reaching the mayor and placing his arm on his back, “you said that it’s not safe outside of towns, so I need to be here for your protection! Obviously.”

Renado grinned and in a blink of an eye, fired his bow at a Tektite that appeared from behind a rock. Barnes yelped as its dead body landed near them with a harsh thud, and the loud clang from his welding mask falling in his face rang out, which made him jump behind Renado. It was silent for a moment, and Barnes glanced up to see Renado stifling his laughter. He scoffed and hopped away from him, fixing his mask.

“That thing just caught me off guard,” he grumbled, and Renado let out a laugh.

“It seems I’m the one who is here for your protection,” he teased, and Barnes huffed, his face growing red.

“Well at least I have bombs,” he fired back, and the mayor only shrugged, continuing to move up the mountain with a stupid smile on his face.

The trek continued to be dreadful, but Barnes refused to back down, not wanting to let Renado out of his sight. He was already far up the mountain anyways; it’d be a waste to give up now. When they finally reached Goron City, Barnes took a break by the hot spring while Renado chatted with the gorons. The mountain dwellers seemed to be on edge, mourning the loss of their missing friend.

“Death Mountain is so much darker without him here,” one goron cried, laying beside the hot spring. “I pray to Din that he can return safe and sound.”

“What’s stopping him from returning, goro?” Another goron piped in. “He’s a strong goron, even gives Gor Coron grief when they wrestle! He couldn’t have been attacked, could he?”

The gorons all mumbled in response, and one laying in the water sat up, turning to Barnes.

“You humans are here about him, aren’t you?” He asked, pointing his large finger at him. “Have you heard any news, goro?”

Barnes sighed and shrugged. “The only thing we do know is that travelin’ is dangerous. Renado is here to tell y’all to stay in the city and inside at night.”

The gorons turned to look at Renado, who was now talking to the elders and the patriarch.

“Stay inside at night? Where will we go?” One asked. “We don’t have homes, we sleep in Mother Din’s earth.”

Barnes shrugged again, feeling frustrated. “How should I know? Y’all can figure it out, I’m just here to make sure Renado doesn’t get hurt!”

“Why must we stay inside? What’s going on?” The goron sitting in the spring asked, and Barnes shrugged again.

“I wish I knew.”

“Do you… do you think our friend would still be here if he had known about the dangers of Hyrule?” One goron contemplated, and the group began to wail for their missing friend once again, wishing that he hadn’t left before the news. Barnes only laid back against his hands, annoyed with the loud gorons. Sure, it’s tragic that they lost a friend, but it happened weeks ago—surely they’d be over it by now, right?

Barnes heard footsteps behind him and he turned to see the elders and the patriarch facing the gorons in the spring.

“My brothers, listen well,” Darbus said in a booming voice, and all that heard him stopped what they were doing to listen. “Hyrule has once again become dangerous. To keep ourselves safe, we will stay in Goron City during the day and inside during the night!”

There were a few groans, but the patriarch’s hand silenced them.

“We will stay in the mines and we will stay together! We cannot afford another loss, do you understand?”

A few gorons agreed, but the one who was in the spring stood up. “Why is Hyrule dangerous again? Us gorons could take care of the threat!”

Darbus turned to Renado, who shook his head.

“The threat is a mystery even to me,” Renado said, “I beg of you all to wait here until we learn more about it. I do not want to lose any more innocent gorons if I can help it.”

The gorons chattered amongst themselves, but the one who spoke out got out of the spring, dripping water onto Barnes as he walked by.

“And why should we listen to you? You’re not our chief, you’re not our patriarch! You’re just a puny human who thinks he can come into our city to tell us what to do!” He turned to the others by the spring and his arms went out as if to beckon them all closer. “Since when did gorons back down from an enemy? Since when did gorons listen to weak and feeble humans whenever a problem appeared? Our brother is missing, and I refuse to hide away while he’s out there!” The goron got close to Renado, and Barnes jumped to his feet without thinking. He ran to them and jumped between the two, pulling out a bomb and pointing at him.

“You better back up or else I’ll blow ya to smithereens!” He threatened, the bomb raised in his hand. The goron was shocked at the sudden hostility from Barnes (and admittedly Barnes was surprised with himself as well), but he didn’t seem intimidated by his threat.

“You’ll blow yourself up before you even harm me, human,” he spat, his arms crossed in front of him. The elders and Darbus began to stir, but Renado beat them to it, resting his hand on Barnes’s shoulder.

“You do not have to listen to me,” he started, stepping in front of Barnes, “you can try to find your friend if it matters that much to you. I am no chief to you, nor am I a patriarch. But I do hope I can at least be a friend who cares about your safety and well-being.”

Barnes couldn’t help but roll his eyes with a smile. Renado was always such a diplomat. The Goron glared for a moment, until Gor Coron and Darbus finally stepped up, which caused him to back away.

“Such disrespect to our friends is unwelcome, goro,” the elder chief said in a low voice, “If you speak out against him or Darbus again, there will be consequences.”

The Goron grumbled, but he returned to the hot spring with his arms crossed. It was silent as the gorons glanced between each other, and Barnes couldn’t help but smirk. That goron had no spine with those bigger than him, clearly.

“Anyone else have something to say?” Gor Coron challenged, and no goron stepped up. “I understand that to wait around feels like a disgrace to warriors before us, but seeing how there’s been many disappearances, it’s for our protection to stay inside.” Gor Coron turned to Renado, his arms crossed. “Though, human, if you need any assistance, do not be afraid to call for us, goro. We are allies after all, yes?”

Renado smiled and nodded his head. “Of course. I will call for you if I need anything. And if you need anything from Kakariko, do not be afraid to ask for help.”

Gor Coron glanced at Darbus who seemed rather disgusted at the idea of asking for help, but he nodded at Renado anyways. “Of course, brother.”

The mayor of Kakariko bowed his head to the gorons, and he turned back to the entrance. “Thank you for taking the time to listen. But my friend and I had better return to Kakariko.”

“Of course. Be safe, humans,” Gor Coron said, and the two walked away, beginning the trek down the mountain to Barnes’s dismay.

“I almost wish we could stay the night. We were barely there for an hour!” Barnes complained, and Renado only gave him a look.

“Fortunately for us, downhill is easier than uphill,” he said, stepping cautiously down the mountain. “Just try not to tumble down.”

Barnes snorted and followed after him, stepping sideways to avoid slipping. When they reached a flat area, Renado suddenly turned to him with a teasing smile. Barnes stopped as well and gave him a confused look.

“What?”

“Nothing, I’m just… the way you stepped in front of that goron up there… It was very brave.”

Heat returned to Barnes’s cheeks, and he waved it away. “Wh-whatever! I didn’t appreciate him talkin’ to you like that! That’s all!”

Renado’s stupid smile never left, and he turned away. “I’m flattered you were willing to throw yourself in front of me. Perhaps you are here for my protection.”

“He was bein’ rude to you, Ren! I can’t stand it when people talk about you like that, I just… I…” Barnes’s mask suddenly fell in his face again, and Renado raised an eyebrow.

“Looks like you need to tighten that thing, Barnes old friend.”

“I should’ve let that goron pummel you.”

Renado let out a laugh and continued with their trek, leaving a bumbling Barnes behind. He quickly opened his mask back up and let out a string of swears under his breath when he nearly slipped, and Renado turned to him again.

“You know, the last person that called me ‘Ren’ was my wife before she passed.”

Barnes paused, giving him a baffled look. “Do… Do you want me to not call you ‘Ren’?”

Renado glanced at the sky and smiled. “No, I forgot how much I liked that nickname.”

The two continued in silence, Barnes running their conversation in his head over and over again. What did he mean by all of that? Did Barnes say something stupid? He did call him Ren, which he didn’t mean to, but was it a stupid thing to say? He couldn’t tell how Renado truly felt about it. Goddesses that man was always so infuriating, but why did Barnes care so much about it anyways?

Renado once again stopped at a flat area at an edge after a moment to wait for Barnes to catch up, which he was grateful for. He pushed the past conversation out of his head and stood there panting like a dog while Renado observed the world around him—he always seemed amazed at nature, even if it looked the exact same in Kakariko. Barnes chuckled at him and stood up straight, stretching his back again.

“You like it out here or somethin’?”

“I can’t say I don’t enjoy it.”

“Yeah, it’s nice,” Barnes said unenthusiastically, “we better hurry it up, though. I’m gettin’ nervous bein’ away from town.”

“Oh, it’s the daytime, we should be fine. Besides, Goron City and Kakariko are so close together, that I doubt we’re in any danger.” Renado turned to Death Mountain and frowned. “Barnes… I should tell you something… about what is causing these disappearances…”

Barnes perked up and faced him fully. “What is it?”

Renado pursed his lips, his eyes narrowing as he was thinking. Barnes shuffled his feet slightly, leaning against one leg near the edge.

“Barnes… it… it’s a sh—”

The ground beneath Barnes suddenly gave way, and he yelled out as he tumbled down the mountain. Thankfully, a large rock stopped him before he could tumble further, and he laid there for a moment to catch his breath.

“Barnes! Are you alright?” He heard Renado call out to him, and he groaned as he sat up. His whole body felt bruised, and his ankle ached something awful, but he wasn’t dead. He turned to see Renado peering at him from the tiny cliff, a worried look on his face. Barnes simply gave a thumbs-up, his ribs hurting too much for him to actually call out to him.

“Wait right there, I’ll come down to you,” Renado shouted, and Barnes turned away, his arm wrapped around his side. Darn, that hurt. And to have it happen in front of Renado, it was embarrassing. He began to attempt standing despite the ache in his side and ankle, but he flopped back down when the pain got too much.

“Don’t stand up, I’ll look over—”

Renado’s voice was abruptly cut off with a grunt, and Barnes groaned as he turned to see what was going on. To his surprise though, Renado was nowhere to be seen. Barnes frowned and attempted to stand up again, ignoring the pain in his body as he leaned against the large rock. There was no one there.

“Renado?” He rasped, looking around. He limped up the trail, moving to the tiny cliff he fell off of. He saw the edge withered away from where he fell, and a sense of dread overcame him as he spotted something lying on the ground. Renado’s bow…

“Renado!” Barnes called out, a more desperate tone in his voice. He searched around him frantically, trying to spot his brown hair or his cream-colored sleeves, just anything. Despite the pain in his side, Barnes scooped up his abandoned bow, and he spotted footprints where Renado possibly was. He once again spun around, hoping to find him, but there was nothing—there were no signs of life. Renado was gone.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The bar was noisy and humid as Link sat at his table, cradling his son in his arms while the others chatted about mundane things. Rusl was speaking to Colin and Rela upstairs—whether to chew them out or not, he didn’t know—and he and the others remained in the backroom, where Kori told him everything that had happened.

The story made Link want to throw up. The idea that his son, his boy, the child he was supposed to protect went through something so dangerous sickened him. He knew deep down that it was an unfortunate situation out of everyone’s control, but he couldn’t help but blame himself. He should’ve made sure Kori was safe, he should’ve killed the beast when it first attacked, he should’ve killed it during the invasion, he should’ve done a lot of things. But the fact that he didn’t infuriated him. All he could do was to listen to Kori, and to make sure he felt safe.

“So, why did you guys go to Castle Town?” Link asked him when he finished the story, and Kori shrugged.

“The soldier guy needed us to tell the Queen ‘bout it,” Kori answered, staring at his hands. Link glanced up at Sheik, who was listening to every word intently. “We told the King though since she wasn’t there.”

Link sighed, giving Kori a gentle squeeze. “I’m so sorry, kid. I’m so sorry that happened to you.”

Kori snuggled in further, sniffling for the hundredth time, which made Link’s heart ache.

“I thought I was gonna die,” Kori whimpered, burying his face further into his shirt, and Link’s heart practically snapped in two when he heard that. Link remembered the feeling of dread that came with death. He’s had close calls with it countless times, but his own son? His own little ten-year-old boy having to feel the dread? Goddesses, it was more painful than anything he’s ever had to endure—such a feeling should never happen to a child. Emotions of anger, frustration, helplessness, and devastation swirled within Link. He wanted to hold onto Kori and to never let him go. He wanted to run outside and scream at the goddesses for allowing such a thing to happen. He wanted to go out and tear the shadow beast to shreds for traumatizing Kori. But all he could do was to hold his son as he cried, repressing the emotions he was feeling.

“I’m so sorry,” Link whispered again, running his hands through Kori’s hair. Link stared for a long moment, feeling the eyes of Sheik as he held him. His own traveled to meet hers, and then they dropped to Kori, who was mindlessly picking at a toy soldier. He frowned and pulled away, eyeing the toy.

“Where’d you get that?” He asked, and Kori got a bashful look on his face.

“Um… I played with the princess…” he mumbled, holding the toy soldier to his chest. “She gave it to me.”

Link blinked a few times, once again glancing at Sheik who looked surprised. He chuckled slightly, the idea of his and Zelda’s children becoming friends being weirdly ironic to him.

“Well, that was sweet of her. What was she like?” he asked, and Kori shrugged.

“She was fun, she had a lotta toys and we played with them.”

Link smiled. “That sounds like fun.”

“Yeah…” Kori rested his head against Link’s chest, a thoughtful look on his face. “I want to play with her again. Do you think I could see her after this?”

Link’s eyebrows rose, and he once again looked over to Sheik, who seemed to be avoiding eye contact now. “Well… Castle town is far away from Ordon…” Link started, trying not to destroy Kori’s hopes and dreams. He wasn’t against the friendship between Kori and the princess, but it wouldn’t be an easy friendship to maintain. The trips, especially with what was happening now, would be a challenge, and it would take up a lot of time. But…

“It’s not that far,” Sheik suddenly jumped in, and Link looked up at her, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. It would be a challenge, but if the princess’s own mother was on board with it… well… how much of a challenge could it be?

“Yeah, it’s not that far, buddy,” Link repeated, poking Kori’s belly slightly, which caused him to squirm. Kori smiled at him, and Link once again gave him a warm hug. It warmed his heart to hear Kori making friends; all he wanted was for him to find a place to belong. Kori sniffed and pulled away, giving Link a confused look.

“How does writing letters work?” He asked.

“Oh! Uh…” Link glanced around, wondering if the Postman would be in the bar. “There’s a guy who runs around and delivers letters. You just tell him who you want it sent to, and the postman will get it to them!”

Kori frowned. “How does he know where the person will be?”

“Heck if I know. I’m pretty sure that man is omniscient,” Link joked, but Kori only stared at him blankly.

“Omni…what—” Kori started, but was interrupted by a loud cheer from the main bar. The two turned their heads to see what was happening, and they saw Telma hugging someone excitedly.

“Oh it’s been too long, sweet pea!” She exclaimed, rocking side to side with the person in her embrace.

“It’s only been a few days!” The person laughed, and Link’s heart sunk when he recognized it. The light twang of Ordon and the delicate voice, sweet like honey.

Illia…

Oh no.

Telma pulled away and Link was able to get a good view of her. She was wearing nice clothes, clearly from living in Castle Town, with a fancy blouse that would’ve been nice with a skirt. Yet her Ordonian fashion shined through, with the traditional Ordon sash around her waist and a pair of trousers embroidered with flowers. She was wearing sturdy boots and her blonde hair was tied to the side, resting on her shoulder and flowing like a waterfall. Spirits, how long has it been since they’ve seen each other?

“How’s Josh and the kids? They aren’t giving you grief, are they?” Telma asked, and Link had to look away. Of course she was married with kids. It was what she’s always wanted, something Link couldn’t give her…

Though he never loved her the way she loved him, it still hurt to be so distant from her, his best friend. It was strange how he could be so close to someone where he knew everything about them, only for them to become a stranger in a day.

“They’re not giving me too much grief,” Illia laughed, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “Though Josh sure does love encouraging their wild behaviors!”

“Oh that man… I better give him a piece of my mind!” Telma huffed in a lighthearted way, and Illia shook her head with a giggle.

“You’ll scare him too much! He’ll never come here again!”

The two women laughed loudly, and Link tried to ignore them. Kori noticed his strange behavior and tilted his head, but Link didn’t acknowledge him. He didn’t want to think about it.

“I’m sorry, I’m just… I’m not ready for a family.”

Link had told her this. It wasn’t wrong, of course, but it was avoiding the main question Illia had for him.

Did he love her?

Of course Link loved her. He would die for her in a heartbeat. But the way she lovingly stared at him, the way she wanted to be near him… that was not a love he felt for her. He never knew what that type of love even felt like, until he met Midna…

And instead of telling Illia how he truly felt for her, he led her on. Giving her false hope that someday he would be ready for her and a family. He gave her false hope that someday they would be together. She just had to wait.

Until she saw Kori, and she realized that it was never going to happen. She realized he never loved her the same way she did, and that he lied to her. Her screams of fury still haunted him, the insults she threw his way stung worse than a deku baba bite, and she suddenly took off from Ordon, leaving everything behind. It was a sickening thought, knowing that Link was what kept Illia in Ordon, and that he wasted her time. Mayor Bo still hadn’t completely forgiven Link for it, and it certainly made Ordon almost unbearable to live in. But he supported her leaving and finding what she needed wherever in Hyrule, he just wished it was on a higher note. He wished that they were still friends, that they were still close…

Link didn’t realize how much he missed her, and how much he missed having a best friend.

He wished it wasn’t him that tore them apart.

“Illia!”

Link turned to see his pa walking down the stairs, walking towards her with open arms. Illia’s expression brightened and she embraced him, grunting as he gave her his tight hug.

“Spirits above, it’s been ages!” He said, giving her one last squeeze before pulling away. “How have things been? How’s Castle Town treatin’ ya?”

“Oh… it’s been treating me well,” she answered, a big smile on her face. “Though it’s quite busy, and noisy, this town… this bar mostly… it brings me comfort.”

“I know it does,” Rusl chuckled. “You spent a lotta time here before, didn’t ya?”

“I did,” Illia said, her eyes landing on Colin behind Rusl and gasping. “Oh goddesses! Colin, hi!”

She quickly pulled him into a hug and he laughed, returning the embrace.

“Illia! It’s been so long!” He said, and she pulled away.

“No kiddin’! Look at you! Since when did you get so big?”

“That’s what I’m saying!” Rusl piped in, ruffling his son’s hair. “This boy just wouldn’t stop growin’! Now he’s taller than his old folks!”

The group laughed and Link sighed, a feeling of emptiness overtaking him. Kori and Sheik only stared at him, occasionally glancing at each other in confusion.

“Oh Rela!” Illia continued, seeing Link’s younger sister with glee. “Look at how much you’ve grown!”

Rela looked confused as she glanced up at Rusl. He noticed her confusion and nudged her towards Illia.

“Rela, this is Illia, she used to live in Ordon. You met her when you were just a little baby.”

There was still confusion, but Rela nodded, extending her hand to Illia. “Nice to meet you. Again.”

Illia giggled and took it, shaking it lightly. The group chatted for a little bit as Link stared, wanting to disappear into the shadows the same way Midna would. He wished they weren’t by the stairs, he would’ve used that as an escape in an instant. As he was staring at them, he made eye contact with Illia, and he saw her tense up. He spun around and cursed under his breath, a tightness in his chest forming.

“Papa, you’re not supposed to say that word,” Kori started, but Link hushed him. It grew uncomfortably silent at the table, the rest of the resistance not chatting anymore and simply watching as Link squirmed in his seat. He sighed and turned to see what was going on behind him, but he flinched to see a person right by his seat—that person being Illia of all people.

“Goddesses, Illia!” he blurted out, and she smiled slightly, backing up and placing her hands in front of her.

“Hello, Link,” she greeted to Link’s surprise. He cleared his throat and smiled.

“Hey.”

The two stared for a long moment, and Rusl tapped Link’s shoulder.

“How ‘bout Kori and Rela head upstairs, y’all seem tired,” he suggested, and Kori wiggled out of Link’s hold, heading upstairs with Colin and Rela. Link stared for a moment, and glanced back up at Illia, who only stared back.

“So… um… how’ve you been?” Link asked, and Illia shrugged.

“I’ve been fine. A little stressed since we’ll be moving from here soon…”

“Moving?”

“Now where are y’all movin’ to?” Rusl asked, and Illia grinned.

“Back to Ordon. I do love this place but…. I’ve been missin’ home. Besides, my husband has been wanting to live the… ‘laid-back life’.” She threw air quotes in the air with an annoyed smile on her face.

“Oh! Back to Ordon!” Rusl exclaimed, excitement apparent on his face. “How exciting! Just don’t tell your husband that the Ordon life ain’t a ‘laid-back life’!”

“I’m gonna let him figure it out when we get there,” Illia said, and the group laughed.

“S-so where will you be movin’ to?” Link asked, hoping he wasn’t overstepping his boundaries. “Are you moving back in with your pa?”

Illia shook her head. “No… We’re goin’ to the deep south. My daddy’s home is great but it don’t fit me and four kids.”

Link’s eyes widened. “Four kids?”

Illia smacked his arm lightly with a grin. “Ya can’t see it now, but there’s another one on the way!”

Link’s mouth fell open, and he glanced at her abdomen. “Holy goat! You’re pregnant?!”

Illia let out a hearty laugh and rubbed her tummy. “Yep! Exciting ain’t it?”

“You’re gonna be movin’ while pregnant?” Rusl asked, and Illia nodded.

“I hope so! I don’t wanna move with a little baby!”

Link glanced at Rusl who was frowning, and he pursed his lips.

“When do you plan on movin’?” His pa questioned.

“Hopefully sometime this week,” she answered, and the table grew tense. She looked around, her head tilted with confusion. “What is it? I promise I’ll be fine—”

“You should wait to move until it’s safe, yeah?” Ashei noted, and Illia frowned.

“Is this about the strange curfew? Don’t worry, we plan on movin’ during the day.”

“No, there’s been—there’s been a monster abducting people, Illia,” Rusl said, his voice quiet and stern. Illia’s eyes widened and her hand went over her heart.

“Oh spirits, really?”

“Yeah…”

“That’s actually why we’re all here,” Shad jumped in, his elbows resting on the table. “We’re hoping to deal with the threat as soon as possible. But for now it’s dangerous out in the field.”

“Even during the day,” Rusl muttered, his eyes staring blankly at the table, and Link sighed knowingly.

“I had no idea it was that serious!” Illia said, her hands moving to her abdomen with a worried expression. “That’s awful!”

“Well don’t worry, my dear,” Auru started, “we’ll have that beast taken care of in no time! Hopefully before you give birth!”

“Well, it’s only been four months,” Illia muttered, “I sure do hope it won’t take that long.”

There were light chuckles around the table, and Link felt slightly more at ease over everything. It was strange. It had been around eight years since he’s seen Illia, and even longer since he’s had a pleasant conversation with her, but it almost felt like those years never happened, and things were back to normal between them. They were simply good friends again. Almost…

There was still tension between the two that Illia was clearly trying to mend. It was Link’s turn to make the effort as well. He turned to her, grabbing her attention.

“Um… Illia… I…”

The whole table turned their attention to him, and he knew this had to be private. He stood up and led her away into a corner, and he fiddled with his fingers while Illia waited patiently.

“I just… I wanted to apologize over everything—”

“No Link,” Illia interrupted him, her hand raised. “It…. It was a hard time… I get it. I just… I don’t want to think about that time anymore. I’m tired of bein’ angry, you know? I have a life now, I have the family I always wanted, and I’m happier than I’ve ever been.” She gave Link a smile and extended her hand to him. “How ‘bout we start over? Try to be friends again?”

Link blinked at her a few times, tears pricking at his eyes. He took her hand and shook it, a smile on his face as they looked at each other.

“I’d like that.”

Illia beamed at him, and she let go. “So… your son… are there more? Or…?”

“Oh, Ordona no. Kori… he really wasn’t—he was an accident but…” Link cringed internally as saying such a thing about his boy, and he let out a breath, a small grin on his face. “Well, I hate to call him that. He was the best thing to ever happen to me.”

Illia smiled warmly and nodded. “I get that. So no more kids?”

“Oh yeah, no more kids,” Link said, though his mind wandered to the heir Midna would need to have, and he wondered if she would ever be his daughter despite not being blood-related. But he quickly pushed it out of his mind, not wanting to think about it now.

“I’m happy for you Link, I really am,” Illia said.

“I’m really happy for you too!” Link blurted out, “I’m happy you found someone and I’m happy you have a family of your own! It’s all so great and…” He cleared his throat, scratching the back of his neck. “You deserve it. You deserve all the happiness in the world.”

Illia grinned and shrugged her shoulders. “You deserve happiness too, Link.”

“Well… thank you… I… I really am sorry…”

“I’m sorry too. For the things I said to you.”

“I kinda deserved it—”

“Not all of it.” Illia gave him a stern look, and he sighed, nodding.

“Yeah, ok.”

“Spirits, you’re still so stubborn,” Illia said lightheartedly, smacking his arm slightly, and Link chuckled.

“You’re no better than me,” he teased back, and she rolled her eyes. The two laughed for a little bit, and Link tried to think of something to fill the silent air settling in. “So… you’re about to become a southerner, huh?”

“Oh, we’re not going into the deep south, we’ll just be past the pond.”

“Hm…” Link pursed his lips. It wasn’t far at all from North Ordon. But… “You’ll still be a southerner though.”

“Goddesses!” Illia pushed him slightly with a laugh, and Link burst out laughing as well. “I will always be a northerner at heart, Link.”

“You better, otherwise I’ll never let ya hear the end of it.”

Illia rolled her eyes and grabbed his arm, leading him back to the table with an annoyed smile on her face. Link observed the faces at the table; they were listening to Shad ramble about glowing bugs, but Rusl was the only one not listening. Instead he was watching Link and Illia with a pleasant smile on his face. Link smiled back and offered Illia his seat, which she refused.

“Oh no, I was just stopping by for some food Telma offered me. I better head home now.”

“Already?” Rusl asked, and she shrugged.

“I got a family I gotta feed, Rusl,” she explained simply. Rusl groaned lightheartedly and stood up, offering a hug.

“It was so nice to see you again, Illia,” he said, and he embraced her, with her reciprocating.

“It was nice to see y’all too,” she muttered into his shoulder, and Link watched, not knowing whether he should give Illia a hug as well or not. He figured he should wait until things get better between them to do that.

“I promise we’ll have this monster situation handled for you, kid,” Rusl promised, rubbing her back before pulling away. “We could even help you with the move if you want.”

“Oh, that’d be wonderful! Thank you Rusl.” Illia let go and turned to Link. She paused for a moment, watching him cautiously. Link only stood there, letting her make the move, and she finally gave him a small hug, which Link was still hesitant to reciprocate. It was a quick hug, but it was nice. Link felt the tension between them ease up significantly, and the guilt in his heart was less painful than before. Illia pulled away and gave him and the rest a wave goodbye.

“I guess I’ll… see you later?” She said, and Link nodded.

“Yeah, see you later.”

She lingered for a moment before turning around and heading to Telma while Link and Rusl watched. Illia got whatever food from Telma, and she turned back to smile at them before leaving. Rusl turned to Link and tilted his head, his weight resting on one leg as his arms crossed.

“That was a pleasant surprise, wasn’t it?”

“Yeah… it was,” Link muttered, feeling conflicted over everything. He didn’t feel like he deserved the kindness Illia showed him, but at the same time, he was grateful for it. Rusl patted him on the back and chuckled.

“Seemed like you two got along, yeah?”

Link smiled slightly. “Yeah… I’m surprised she was so… nice and forgiving.”

“Well, some people just need time to heal, Link,” Rusl explained. “But it’s in the past. If she’s willing to move on, you should try to as well.”

Link sighed and nodded. “Yeah, ok.”

His pa stared at him for a moment, then began to move him to the stairs. “We’re gonna go talk to our kids real quick,” he explained to the resistance members that sat at the table. They all nodded as Link and Rusl climbed the stairs, and they moved into their room. To no one’s surprise, Colin, Kori, and Rela were fast asleep, all in the same bed. Link smiled, grateful that Kori had such a close relationship with his aunt and uncle, and he sat on the bed opposite, with Rusl joining him.

“Poor things, they were so tired,” Rusl said, staring at them.

“Yeah… Kori was pretty… upset over everything that had happened.” Link turned to his pa and rested against the wall. “What’d you talk to Colin and Rela about?”

Rusl sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “I was gonna yell at them. I told them to stay in Ordon and for some reason they were here in Castle Town. I was… furious when I saw them. But I was mostly scared. I know what type of threat is out there, and I didn’t want my kids to be a part of it. But Colin told me everything and I understand why they’re here now but… I just…” He sucked in a breath and closed his eyes. “We need to kill this thing, Link. Once and for all.”

Link nodded, staring blankly at the ground. “Yeah… what will we do with them? Will they stay here?”

“They have to. I’m not letting them near that monster,” Rusl said firmly. “Even Colin. I hate to coddle him, but spirits above… I can’t—I can’t let anything happen to him again. He’s still my baby…” His voice shook slightly, and he rubbed his face with his hands. Link smiled and rubbed his pa’s back.

“Guess that feeling never goes away no matter how old they get?”

“Goddesses no,” Rusl let out a laugh, his eyes wet. “Y’all are still my babies. Even you Link.”

“Heh, you never knew me when I was a baby though.”

Rusl gave him a look and rolled his eyes. “So?”

The two burst out laughing, and Rusl pulled Link close to hug him. They remained there for a bit, watching their children in front of them, before Rusl pulled away and stood up.

“Come on, we need to finalize plans,” he said, the warmth in his voice gone with determination in its place, offering his hand to Link. “I’m not lettin’ this thing hurt anyone else.”

Link nodded and took his hand, standing up as well. He turned to Kori and gave him a quick peck on the forehead before turning to the door where Rusl waited, and the two went downstairs to the resistance, both determined to find a way to defeat the mutated shadow beast.

[jack-kellys]

jack kelly screencap study during work today

[lover-of-mine]

Eddie and Ana/Buck and Natalia parallels.

Alternative title: ♪ I think I've seen this film before ♪

[alrightaspen]

another super old doodle while i work on another piece

guys full disclosure this isn’t a strictly sky account i’m gonna post other non sky stuff i just didn’t expect it to blow up from sky artwork

[fircyca]

[hood-ex]

Jason's thighs this, Jason's thighs that. Dick's thighs would crush you like a walnut.

This man is midair and not only can he hold up his own body weight, he can support another man on top of his thighs while simultaneously clenching his thighs of steel around his motorcycle to keep it from careening hundreds of feet below!

Nightwing Vol. 4 #41

Not only that but he can also throw shit with his thighs. Get a load of how he launches Superman through the air.

Grayson Annual #2

That's right. His thighs are strong af 😤. Who's your thigh king now?

[farawayfriendsinheadspace]

[ASKBOX IS OPEN AGAIN!]